About a year and a half ago, our son was asked to leave his daycare center because of behavioral issues. He was disruptive, argumentative and had trouble following adult directions. My husband and I were distraught. After taking medical leave to be home with him, we found a new school where his behavior was tolerated a little better. As far as extracurricular activities were concerned, we looked into Gym classes, mommy and me classes, soccer etc….but nothing seemed to work. About 10 months ago we enrolled our son in the 4 year old action karate program. In the beginning, as expected, he was a handful. We were pleased to see that Action Karate was well versed in children with ADHD. He had a one on one instructor and one on one classes when needed (all of which is included in the monthly price which was really nice.) Our son has come such a long way since last year, at school and during karate class. Because of karate, he has learned discipline, respect, confidence, following adult instructions, and self-regulation. My husband and I thought we were going to put him on medication but at this point he has shown such strides since starting karate that we no longer entertain that idea. The reason I am writing this letter is to thank each and every one of you for your time, patience and genuine concern for my son. I don’t think he would be where he is today without Action Karate

With much appreciation
“A Very Satisfied Customer”
(Anonymous)

"We started at Action Newtown just over 3 years ago by enrolling my son. Now all 5 of the children train and THIS Mom just earned her 1st degree Black Belt! I can't say enough great things about this studio, our instructors, and sense of community/family. Love, Love, LOVE!" Cheri Tigh Foster

"We would like to thank you again for the FANTASTIC birthday party for my son! The kids had a wonderful time!! Many thanks to Mr. Joe and Ms. Sue for making our son's party special"
Sue Lubanski

"Ryan H. just had an AWESOME board breaking party this afternoon. Special THANKS to Miss Susan Tooker Morgan, Mr. Joe Collins, Miss Kayleigh Quinlisk and Miss Courtney Murtha for doing such a great job and and for making sure everyone had a FANTASTIC time. You ROCK!"
Maureen Pierce

"The improvement in my daughter in the last year is incredible. She has improved her grades and her listening skills are much better. She has taken on much more responsibility around the house. Her progress continues to amaze me! She is not only improving in her academics, but her self-esteem has grown as well!" Ami T.

Since my son has started with Action Karate we have seen him grow in many ways. When he first started coming to karate he was reserved and for the most part kept to himself. Since then, he has become more assertive and expressive in positive ways. We see how much he looks forward and enjoys class with Mr. C. and how he always strives to attend as many classes a week as possible. After receiving his orange belt, he asked us if he could help with the Asah Shark and Little Ninja Classes. As a result, he is now in Leadership Training. He looks forward to fulfilling his role as a Leader in Training with the kids. We are so proud of you, keep up the good work! Yvette C.

Thank you! I believe that Dylan is addicted and says the creed over and over again at school and home. I think what you guys at Action Karate do is awesome. David's self-esteem has improved so much since he started. Dylan has more focus and more coordination (even his teacher has seen a difference.) David and Dylan had a blast at the tournament! Dylan loves his trophy and walked away very proud of himself. David's confidence is through the roof since Saturday. He received 3rd place in Kata and 3rd place in combinations (which we were so proud because of it being out of 15 children.) Not bad for a few months! The judges were incredible and gave great constructive criticism for David.

Have a great one!
ASAH!
Samantha H.

Our 9 year old son has finally found a sport that meets his needs & desires. Action Karate has provided him with an opportunity to develop his core strength, his coordination, his balance and self-defense skills.

Action Karate is so much more that an exercise program, however. It has provided our son an opportunity for leadership, community and personal growth.

Becky G.

Dear Mr. C and Birthday Staff:

Thanks so much for providing my daughter - Elizabeth - a really nice Birthday party on Sat. You all did such a nice job and the kids had so much fun! Your kindness and generosity are greatly appreciated! You can be sure I will tell anyone who asks that I met some really great people who threw a really nice party!
Thanks again.

Sincerely, Joy Edmondson-Irons

Both of my sons attended an Action Karate center and received their
Black Belts. The program and instructors instilled wonderful values in addition to increasing the boys' physical,mental, and emotional strength. I highly recommend their classes!

Cindy Melnick

At my martial arts school, students measure their progress not according to what others can do but to what they can do. Diana Schmidt, mother of student Breanna said, "Breanna's determination at being her best in everything she does comes directly from the skills she has acquired from karate." Diana knows that it's more important for Breanna to do her best than to be the best. It is Breanna's black belt attitude that enables her to make progress in her goals.

What is a black belt attitude? A black belt attitude is, simply, acting like a black belt: never being content with just getting by, focusing on the journey as well as the destination, taking responsibility for your life and what happens to you, making the better choice even if it is the harder one. Black belts, in short, live their lives to the fullest.

A black belt attitude can help your child reach his full potential. For example, if your child never studies, sometimes misses homework assignments, and misses class a lot but still gets Cs or Bs on his report card, he may think that is good enough. You might even be fine with these grades yourself, but think about what would happen if your child put forth that extra effort: suddenly those Bs and Cs turn into As. Of course it's great that your child's grades will improve, but what's more important is the send of accomplishment and self-worth that will come from knowing they gave their best possible effort.

In this face-paced society, its hard for us, even as adults, to really enjoy the process of getting somewhere. We are so focused on achieving the end result that sometimes we miss the lessons we could learn on our way to achieving our goals. With a black belt attitude, your child can enjoy the challenges that present themselves on his way to his goals. For example, if your child takes piano lessons and expects to be Beethoven overnight, he is going to have a really hard time enjoying the learning process. If we focus on the journey as well as the destination, we can learn from our mistakes.

A black belt attitude also means that your child takes responsibility for his own actions. If your child doesn't get the part he wanted in the school play, blaming the teacher is not going to help him get it next time. Making excuses for why he could not study for a test is not going to turn his F into an A.

When your child takes responsibility for his own actions, he learns the value of hard work and perseverance. It also puts him in control of his own destiny.

Perhaps the hardest part of exhibiting a black belt attitude is making the right decisions even when they are most difficult. Certainly, it would be easier for your child not to go to football practice rather than to go, but is that going to make him a good team player? If your child were pressured to take drugs or alcohol, wouldn't it be easier just to relent? With a black belt attitude, your child can stand up for what is right even when it is not easy.